Joseph D. Grace

Joseph D. Grace passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after a brief decline in his health due to natural causes. Joe was born on May 14, 1934, to his parents William and Goldie (Morris) Grace in Warsaw, Missouri. He married Norma Jane Boeschen at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia, Missouri in September 1962. Norma passed away in July 2022, shortly before their 60^th wedding anniversary.

Joe is preceded in death by his parents and an older brother, Taylor Grace, who died soon after birth, and his wife Norma. He is survived by his sons Tim Grace and Bill Grace (Karen), grandsons Colin and Evan (Allison), granddaughters Emily and Anna, and great-grandsons Owen and Andrew.

Joe was a 1953 graduate of Sweet Springs High School in Missouri and served in the US Army from 1957 to 1959. After his time in the service, he returned to Missouri and worked several jobs in the Kansas City area until gaining employment with the Misouri Department of Transportation from which he retired in 1991. After retiring, he kept himself busy with home improvement projects around the house, working in his yard and garden, and spending time with Norma.

A special thank you to the faculty of the Villages of Jackson Creek Assisted Living facility in Independence, Missouri for caring for Joe for three years, and to One Community Hospice of Independence for his more recent care.

A graveside service will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers consideration of donations to the American Heart Association.

Obituary submitted by the family

Arrangements by Royer Funeral Home in Grain Valley, Missouri